Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie is one of my faves for the Spring 2022 anime lineup. I love a slice of life done right & really appreciate the wholesomeness this genre can offer. When I feel stressed, I watch something like Shikimori and relax while sipping on my coffee.
For people unfamiliar with this anime, it comes down to this: Shikimori seems like a perfect girlfriend: cute, sweet, and deeply in love with her boyfriend Izumi. This charming persona, however, completely changes when Izumi gets in trouble. She then becomes a cool heroine with sharp glaring eyes that everyone around her admires, saving Izumi from all sorts of dangerous situations!
As you would expect, it’s not going to have any groundbreaking plot or characters. It’s not meant to be that type of anime.
But when I thought that such anime can’t (and don’t) deserve hate, it actually got a lot of hate. And not only on Twitter!
People have started flaming Izumi for being USELESS
Not long after the anime started airing, people (and even self-proclaimed Shikimori fans) have started creating posts on Facebook & Twitter about how the male MC is utterly useless.
I can’t help but not take Twitter seriously because it has been a dumpster fire for the longest time.
But I for sure didn’t expect that one of the biggest Shikimori Facebook groups with more than 50k members would have Izumi haters coming in!
Is Izumi Yuu really useless, though?
The MC Izumi is a kind-hearted and caring softie. He goes out of his way to help those in need and shows a great amount of empathy towards his family, friends, and even strangers.
The only problem is that Izumi has the worst luck a person could have. He constantly gets into dangerous situations and ends up often getting hurt because of this. This is prevented only because Shikimori—his girlfriend—takes on the role of a protector, and starts saving him from these misfortunes. It’s exactly as the title states: she is not just a cutie!
My problem with this whole controversy is that if the roles were reversed, people would not have problems with it like they do here.
Shikimori is the savior and protector while Izumi is physically weaker and in need of protection. I don’t see anything wrong with it.
I don’t find Izumi useless; he and Shikimori are fit for each other. They complement each other and balance out each other’s weaknesses. Which is very important in a relationship.
Most importantly, they love and care for each other.
Izumi might not be the strongest and he is followed by misfortune, but he is good-natured and sympathetic, which are all highly desirable qualities in a potential partner.
It all boils down to one thing: people don’t like the stereotypical roles reversed. I think it’s important to challenge these views and Shikimori did an outstanding job in that.
What do you think about Izumi Yuu?
